Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-02-17

bowed goodnight, and went away |
through the starlight TO his lodgings |
Eliminating over this odd pair, and !
hearing half consciously the whip !
poor-wills calling among the plum
trees by the river
CHAPTER XVI
John Earring did not easily find the
pathway into the popped kingdom
that night, but lay a long time awake
in his high room close under the roof
Of Bowers Block. thinking of the old
lawyers curious methods with his
daughter, and that doc-footed daugh-
ter's curious charms. At last, with a
kind of drowsy pleasure in his blood,
he drifted through the nowcry gate
way into the rcstful realm Of dreams.
But evrn into that silent vapory place
the charm of Maun's willowy motion
went with him; for ho thought ho saw
her standing before lin, something like
n beautiful flame. that slowly wavercd
upward and away into Il whispering
mist, out of which the silken-hoaded
form of little Celeste suddenly ran to-
ward him with outstretched arms
through n slanting shower Of sunlit
rain, and swcrved away into darkness
with frightened. silvery cry. lle
awoke at that, and found himself sit
ting up with arms extended in the di-
rcction she had seemed to go. and for
some moments could not persuade
himself but that his dream was true.
Then he knew that soft summer rain
had come up and was tapping upon
his window with its velvet fingor-tips
and crossing the big tin roof with q
thousand tiny velvet feet. In a mo-
ment il had gone, pattaring away over
the house-tops into the fields, and an-
other cloud shod with liquid moved
slowly over the sleeping town. Broad
and soft il came on and deepened into
dcluge for moment, then slackcncd.
and with some booms of thunder that
beloved away into the caves of heav-
en-, deepcncd again, and presently whis-
percd into silence. John Earling. list
cning thought of Maun's music. and
| fell asleep with that memory mngling
with the memory of Celeste's far-on
silvcry cry.
In the morning. when he awOkc, the
sunlight falling through his window
was scattering the wall with vapory
| gold and he sprang up to feel his
dream come suddenly back upon him,
and he had worked several hours that
morning before he lost its weird mys-
| terious charm.
After Judge Bower had gone home
that evening the old lawyer, who
seemed through his silent ycar-long
| struggle to have put aside in part his
jealousy of Maun through his affection
for John Earring, began talking again
! -, Lt- Il q 1urt -
| some Of his casesthat had fallen with
in the last decade of OpenstOnc's his
tory. he stopped short and looked at
John Earring as if sudden thought
had arrested his ideas. II suppose
you have noticed that | have cleared 4
| good many criminals?n he said.
yes. SIR said John Earring. with
his clear eyes on the old mans face, II
have noticed II. and also. that you have
expressed ,'e opinion that number
OF them were guilty. l should like to
protest against that.
The old lawyer threw his chin up
and let a quick "Haw! hawr' escape
him. "It wouldn't do any good, he
said; "a mans reputation as a lawyer
don't depend rs much on the number
that he convicts as upon the number Of
acquitlals he brings about, especially
in criminal practice. lfyou succeed in
turning loose lot of murderers and
thieves to prey upon the dear public,
the dear solt-liyercd public will pat you
on the back and you will be great and
have riches, and generally they will
gratefully send you 10 Congress. The
old man spit quickly and hurst into a
Kind OF dcrisve laugh, and john Earl
ing looked out the window with sad
bitterness
"Oh people arc fools, mere fools"
the old lawyer burst out. "Gull the
individual and it pleases the great
body. They do so admire u smart
man; a smart one. remember not a
good one. Snum' aud he thrust his
claw-.ike hand ont and fetched It back,
rs ii hc had jcrKed the scalp from coli
lcciivc humanity.
They may ike the smart bad ono
best at the beginning but they will Hike
the good one best at the last That is
history" said John Earling.
But the Old lawyer was looking down
in meditatIve way, and went on re-
gardless OF what the young man had
aid: IL expect they will b. electing
these days; send him TO Congress, or
some other paradise for moral ruins, to
serve them and guard their interests;
and no man in the district has done an
Ollier job Of gulling than he, unless it
is Judge Ashman, who got rich out Of
the people and then had them oust
Bower and give him the judgeship
eight years ago. They have been after
me, too. a good many times, want NJ TO
make me their noble mouih-riece in tho
halls where laws and ioOpholes are
manufactured, but was too honest to
allow them 10 use me 10 their own hurt "
And the old man gave mocking
Haw! "NO, haven been friend to
the people. have only turned loose
several criminals among them, and
they think me wise as lghtnin' -bahi
the fools,' And he got up and went
across the room and stood before tho
window, boxing out
John + Ring looked AZ his tall.
crooked form. sharpened and accent
ed against the background of Il IN
outdoor light, aud something like ad-
miratiOn OF the OLD lawyer anger,
mixed with a Kind Of horror Of his
achievements, clouded his eyes. sud.
d,n'y the old attorney wheeled about
with his hands in his pockets aud came
back aud sat down.
There is one thing you mag rs wcll
know be began, "and that is that
you re going 10 have q hard time putting
your IDEAS into practice here. I'll give
you an out inc Of the situation and you
may judge. In the first place joel
Whitney Is at the top Of the heap; tho
center Of the ring. He knows your
ability and Wen you begin to rise no
will crush you il he can, for, Of course.
he can't use yon Then in the second
! uloea TuIora Aahptou will truel Ia "a